A test of Sabah’s house of cards

SOME see him as a hero, others say his political career is over.

There has been a rather mixed reaction to Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan’s decision to quit the state coalition and take his party solo in the state election.

But, for now at least, Jeffrey is the man of the hour. His bold move has set off ripples in the Kadazandusun Murut community.

STAR Sabah and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) are the two largest Kadazandusun Murut parties in Sabah and who see themselves as the standard-bearers for the community.

The video implicating Jeffrey in an alleged act of corruption was damaging and the fact that his two deputy presidents and three vice-president refused to go along with him has been terribly embarrassing.

But, Dr Arnold Puyok, a leading analyst on Sabah politics, said the move may have won Jeffrey renewed respect and admiration from the community.

"Even supporters of PBS are looking at Jeffrey with new eyes," said Dr Arnold who is a Unimas senior lecturer.

It will affect the dynamics in what Dr Arnold described as a “fluid and polarised political landscape” that has seen a cascade of issues ranging from alleged corruption involving top state leaders, water and power infrastructure troubles and the tragic death of Zara Qairina Mahathir.

The incumbent government usually has the edge in an election but caretaker Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, who dissolved the state assembly on Monday, is fighting the fight of his political life.

He faces the challenge of leading a coalition struggling to regain voter trust

"Hajiji is a much loved figure in his Sulaman constituency. He comes across as a father figure and a Mr Nice Guy but the problem is that Sabah needs more than a Mr Nice Guy," said Dr Arnold.

The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition led by Hajiji lacks a strong foundation. GRS is a creature of expediency, comprising parties that joined hands to form the government after the 2020 state election.

And with the departure of two partners, that is, Jeffrey’s party and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), GRS is starting to resemble a house of cards.

It also means that GRS no longer has a python grip on the Kadazandusun Murut vote. It has to lean on PBS to bring in those votes.

GRS’ alliance with the Pakatan Harapan and its willingness to allocate more than 20 seats to the peninsular entity was one of the reasons that STAR Sabah broke away.

GRS was seen as kowtowing to what Sabahans call "parti Malaya" or "parti seberang," that is, parties from the peninsula.

The impact of Jeffrey’s action has to be seen in the context of the Kadazandusun Murut community who are highly political in the way they defend their beliefs and culture.

They make up about 23% of the Sabah electorate and they are not unlike the Chinese in the peninsula. They are capable of moving as one, they rally behind parties led by their own leaders and they are suspicious of the Islamisation they see around them.

They are also known to be the kingmaker in seats where the Muslim Bumiputera vote is split between Parti Warisan and Umno.

Jeffrey, at 78, is not in the best of health and has trouble walking. His detractors have labelled him as the "king of frogs" because he has gone through eight political alliances.

But he has been a consistent voice in the "Sabah for Sabahans" sentiment that resonates with the KDM community.

This will probably be his last hurrah or, to put it in a grander term, he is like the lion in winter.

A Sabah Umno leader has cautioned that Jeffrey’s party needs to be taken seriously.

The Umno leader saw how delegates at the joint-convention of STAR Sabah and PBS in July had shouted at the top of their voices for their parties to reject peninsula parties and to go solo.

Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, the grand old man of Sabah politics, was so moved that he said he felt the “spirit of Tambunan,” a metaphor for the time when he stood up against the mighty Barisan Nasional.

In that sense, Jeffrey is seizing the golden moment.

"He knows the game, he is telling them he will carry their aspirations for a strong political voice and that he does not fear going to jail," said the Umno leader.

What all this also means is that the stage is set for the two biggest Kadazandusun Murut parties to clash like brothers vying for the love of the same family.

It will not be as nasty as the Chinese rivalry between DAP and MCA, but it will be quite epic.

"This is the first state election for the Madani government. The Prime Minister would want his allies to make it so that the momentum can carry into the general election. It will be like a test run.

"It is also the first litmus test for Pakatan, to see whether their support goes beyond their strongholds of the Klang Valley and Penang. It’s time for DAP to ride the dragon, to test how the Chinese discontent out there will translate into votes," said lawyer and political commentator Ivanpal S. Grewal.

The Sabah for Sabahans battlecry gives such an oomph! to the state election.

But Dr Arnold said that this mantra advocating a strong voice for Sabah may actually take second place to what many younger voters, professionals and fence-sitters are looking for in the election.

The gap between what was promised and what was delivered has been too stark. The alleged acts of corruption being played out in the string of videos had a huge impact on the common folk.

Once you watch it, you cannot unsee it and it has resulted in cynicism and a distrust of politicians.

Dr Arnold’s survey of several Kadazandusun Murut seats a month ago suggests that 40% of voters are still unclear about the party or leader to support.

"They prefer a Sabah party but what matters to them is that the leader must be honest and capable of running a state. Some of them told us: "What is the point if the leader is from our community but is corrupt?" said Dr Arnold.

Difficult choices lie ahead for Sabahans. How seriously have the electorate been brainwashed by all those clever and witty political propaganda on TikTok? Will they be able to usher in clean and competent leaders?

Sabah’s politics has often been portrayed as being under the sway of "Vitamin M," the euphemism for money politics. Will the voters be dazzled by "Vitamin M"?

The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own